Every Rose Has Its Thorns
by TheDarkDoctorWatson
Summary: The Twelfth didn't know where to go, didn't know what to do. Nothing was easy since he had lost Clara. The Doctor needed a friend, an old friend, the first friend he had truly fallen in love with. The Doctor needed his Rose...and Earth Two needed a Doctor.
1. Ch 1: The Beginning

**Ch 1: The Beginning**

* * *

The Doctor walked slowly around the console with his hands folded behind him as the center column hummed. He wore his old red lining jacket and galaxy shirt as the TARDIS hovered over 32nd Century Mars.

The Doctor didn't know where to go, didn't know what to do. The TARDIS had been on autopilot for the last few weeks, taking the Doctor where he was most needed. He would solve the problem as best he could, then he would go back inside the box and continue to wish things had ended differently.

River's visit helped to soften things a bit, but it wasn't enough. Nothing was easy since the Doctor had lost Clara. She was the impossible girl, the girl who saved the Doctor, the girl who came into the world on a leaf.

As the Doctor started to head to his bedroom, the main monitor started to chime rhythmically as it pinpointed a small bay in Southern Wales that was completely empty. The Doctor looked closely at where the TARDIS was pointing on the map.

"No, no, not there!" The Doctor almost screamed as he tried to grab the main lever.

The lever lurched forward on its own, the TARDIS lurched throwing the Doctor on his back as it zoomed to 21st Century Earth.

In a few seconds, the TARDIS landed with a resounding thump as the Doctor stood up.

"That was really rude." The Doctor said as he dusted off his jacket, "How'd you even cross the dimensional barrier? Oh that's right, I can talk to you but you can't talk to me."

The Doctor grabbed his sonic glasses and opened the front door. The bay was completely barren, the waves were calm and the sand was completely wet like it had just finished raining. The Doctor closed and locked the door behind him, then started walking down the beach. He used his psychic paper to get a plane ride to London and once he landed he was greeted by UNIT.

"Where have you been Doctor?" the Osgoods asked simultaneously.

"Mourning." The Doctor answered honestly.

"Who did you lose?" The Osgood with the scarf asked.

"Clara." The Doctor said when he noticed a familiar lavender winter coat shuffle through the crowd in the airport.

"Was that…?" The Doctor said as he put on his sonics.

"Doctor?" The Osgood with the sweater asked.

"Uh, excuse me for a bit." The Doctor said as he started following the lavender coat.

The Doctor started walking through the crowd, following the coat as best he could. At forks and turns in the hallways, the glasses would zoom in on the coat showing the Doctor which way to go. He followed the coat outside realizing it was in a cab heading away from the airport. The Doctor used a new setting that set the coat up as a tracer and followed it on the map. Then using a TARDIS key, he called the TARDIS to him and once inside he followed the coat to an address several blocks away.

The Doctor landed the TARDIS in the same spot from all those years ago when he and the owner of the coat had met. He took off the sonics and stayed in the shadows until the woman went into the apartment. He then slowly started walking up the stairs towards her apartment door. He was about to knock, when he was reminded of everything they had been through, both the good times and the dark times. After a few seconds of mental debate, the Doctor put his hand down and started walking away. His footsteps were a bit loud as he left the doorway and they caught the attention of the woman in the apartment. The door opened the behind the Doctor and she stood in the doorway.

" 'Ello, sir. You okay?" The woman asked.

The Doctor considered his options, then finally turned towards the woman.

"Uh, hi. I was in the area and thought I'd stop by." The Doctor said, trying not to cry.

"Do I know you?" The woman asked.

"Uh, well, you used to." The Doctor said as he pulled out a wallet photo album and paged to his last regeneration and the regeneration before that.

He handed the pictures to the woman and waited for her reaction. She started to tear up as she looked at both pictures and at the man in front of her.

"Doctor?" The woman asked also trying not to cry.

"Hello, Rose Tyler." The Doctor said before they both stepped in for a hug.

A few minutes later, the Doctor stood in Rose's kitchen as she poured tea. The Doctor looked around at the apartment, still exactly as it was the last time he had been here.

"Where's the lovely yet overbearing Jackie Tyler?" The Doctor asked.

"She's actually out on a date." Rose chuckled.

"How is my Meta-Crisis counterpart?" The Doctor asked.

"He was killed in train wreck two years ago." Rose said trying to bite back tears.

"Rose, I am so sorry." The Doctor said.

"No, don't, please." Rose said as she set the kettled on the stove and walked down the hall to the bathroom and somewhat slammed the door.

"Rose, are you okay? I heard that door slam from out here." Jackie asked as she came in the front door before noticing the Doctor.

"Who the heck are you?" Jackie asked as she grabbed a baseball bat that was beside the door.

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor replied as he held out the two pictures he had shown Rose.

"Where the heck have you been?! We thought you died in that train-wreck!" Jackie started yelling.

"I'm not your Doctor, I'm the original." The Doctor said.

"How'd you get here then, I thought you couldn't cross dimensions or something." Jackie asked.

"I usually can't, I honestly don't know how the TARDIS got here." The Doctor replied.

"Well as you can tell, she's in mourning for _her_ Doctor, so I'm going to nicely ask you to leave before I throw you over the railing." Jackie said as she pointed to the door.

"I am dreadfully sorry." The Doctor said before he left and headed back down the three flights of stairs.

The Doctor was opening the TARDIS door when he heard the door slam upstairs. He looked up and saw Rose half hanging over the railing.

"You were just going to leave without a proper goodbye again?!" She yelled down to him.

"Well your mother made it clear that I'm not welcome here. And in the meantime, I need to figure out how I got here in the first place; it's not everyday that you cross across the dimensional plane with no reason except the TARDIS thought it'd be nice if I met up with an old friend." The Doctor yelled back.

"Maybe that's because last time, you- oh, AHHH!" Rose started to scream as she fell over the railing.

The Doctor ran into the TARDIS with the doors still open and jumped the TARDIS to a sideways position under Rose. She fell in through the doors and into the Doctor's arms. The Doctor then moved the TARDIS back to where it was.

"I'm sorry about last time, I did everything I could. I did warn you that he wouldn't regenerate, and I am sorry. You don't have to help me, but I still need to figure out how I got here." The Doctor said as he let Rose go and started flipping switches and pressing buttons around the console.

"I'll help you." Rose said quietly as she shut the doors and then walked back to the console and helped as best she could with the console switches.

"Where are we going first?" Rose asked.

"UNIT headquarters." The Doctor said as he threw the main lever forward and the column pulsed as the TARDIS took off.

* * *

END CHAPTER ONE


	2. Ch 2: TheTimeWeLost

**Ch 2: The Time We've Lost**

* * *

As the TARDIS landed, the Doctor looked at Rose as she walked around the interior.

"How many times have you redecorated since the last time I've been in here?" Rose asked as she took Moby Dick off the shelf and skimmed through it.

"Three." The Doctor answered honestly, "When I first regenerated after the tenth hour, when I went through a bit of a depression phase and when I started my second regeneration cycle."

"I wish I could've have seen them." Rose said as she set the book back on the shelf.

The Doctor thought for a moment, then turned the main monitor to the keyboard and began typing.

"Close your eyes." The Doctor said before flipping a switch as Rose closed her eyes.

There was a flash and a quick zapping sound, then it was quiet and dark for a second.

"Ok, open them." The Doctor said.

Rose opened her eyes and she was greeted with the interior she knew all too well. Brownish walls, greenish light of the center column, the couch-chair against the railing that surrounded the center console.

"This is what you were used to," The Doctor said before he started typing again, "This little desktop got me through some rather dark times. This next one though, might be a bit of a culture shock. You'll want to close your eyes again."

Rose did as she was told, this time with a bit of a smirk. The flash and zap happened again, and Rose opened her eyes a second later. The column now had a weird shape in chrome pulsing up and down, the console was a bit more active with moving parts everywhere and there were several monitors on the walls. The platform extended a bit farther from the console and the lights had a bit of an orangish quality. There was a level under the console that was covered with cords and it allowed access to work on the console and other areas of the TARDIS.

"What's with the t-shirt hanging from the archway?" Rose asked pointing at the blue t-shirt with white print on it.

"Oh, a joke from my last regeneration." The Doctor said he started typing again, "I may have mentioned to a pirate captain that 'I'm Confused' is a big club that should have t-shirts. Get ready, next desktop's coming up."

Rose was flat out smiling now as she closed her eyes. Flash, zap, open the eyes. The column and console themselves were now much like what the current Doctor had, except it was blue lights. The round things the Doctor was fond of were there along the walls, a bit smaller with blue lights, and the second level platform was there. The level under the console was no longer covered in the cords, it was changed to wardrobe and the TARDIS phone now actually ran through the phone box on the front door.

"The round things." Rose said as she smiled.

"You remembered." The Doctor said through his own smile.

"I've never forgotten a word you said to me." Rose said as she brushed her hair back.

"Nor I about what you've said." The Doctor said before beginning to type again, "We're coming back to the current desktop."

Rose closed her eyes, flash, zap, she opened her eyes again. The current interior, just like the second desktop the Eleventh used, except the lighting was orangish again, there was more furniture making it a bit more cozy and some of the lights on the ceiling looked a bit like Dalek eyestalks. That's when Rose saw the picture that even Clara hadn't seen. Just to the left of the bookcase, in a simple wooden frame, two pictures one over the other; the top was a picture from the first week Rose ever spent with the Doctor, the bottom was a picture of Rose from the last week she was with the Doctor. Rose took the frame off the wall just as the Doctor turned turned the last knob.

"Ah, now that, that is…" The Doctor started before realizing he really had no excuse for why that was there, "Look, don't get any funny ideas, since we last met a lot of birthdays happened. I'm now old enough to be your Messiah, or at least one of His disciples."

"Don't worry," Rose chuckled as she rehung the frame, "I'm not really looking anymore."

"If it's not too hard to recap, what'd I miss while I was out." The Doctor asked.

"Well, my Doctor and I actually got married." Rose started, "He grew his own TARDIS, like you told him, we saw so many incredible things. He actually grew a beard, changed his style a bit. Life was great until the wreck. He's actually buried at UNIT headquarters, along with the TARDIS piece. It condensed back to that one piece when it felt the Doctor die. They've done everything they can to revive him."

"But they haven't had me to help them." The Doctor said putting on his sunglasses.

"Are those part of the outfit?" Rose asked with a smirk.

"Sonic sunglasses." The Doctor said as he took the glasses off and put them on Rose so she could see, "I lost the sonic screwdriver, bit of bad memories. Pretty sure my next hour will bring it back though. I can show you on the monitor what it looked like."

"Was it still blue?" Rose asked as she scanned the TARDIS core with the sonics.

"Sadly no," The Doctor said as he brought up the specifications on the last screwdriver he used, "It was green, much longer than the blue one and had a claw extension. Also, the blue one broke my first day as the Eleventh."

"How'd the green one break?" Rose asked as she took off the sonics and handed them back to the Doctor who put them away in his jacket.

"Davros." The Doctor said, not bitterly, but not too kindly either.

"I see." Rose said, remembering the hell Davros had put them both through.

"Did your Doctor have a sonic?" The Doctor asked as he moved the monitor to another section of the console to scan the area around the TARDIS.

"Yes actually," Rose started as she looked at the screen over the Doctor's shoulder, "It had a blue light shaped like your last one, it didn't extend but it had a white grip with a section of blue lights as a readout and the end of it was silver."

"Sounds lovely." The Doctor said with a smile, "How are Pete and Tony Tyler?"

"They were with my Doctor on the train." Rose said as she wiped away a tear, "They survived, my dad can't walk and Tony is still in therapy to learn to live without his left arm, but they are alive."

"Must've been a good reason for such a bad wreck." The Doctor said looking in the corner.

"What's going on over here?" Rose asked changing the subject.

"I'm scanning the area around the TARDIS," the Doctor replied, "Just to make sure I got the coordinates right."

"Still iffy when it comes to flying this thing?" Rose asked with a smirk.

"Oi, I try my best," the Doctor said as he headed to the front door, "It's not like I can just push a button and there we are."

The Doctor walked out the door and was met by at least fifteen guns of different sizes and calibers.

* * *

END CHAPTER TWO


	3. Ch 3: You Should Be Dead

**Ch 3: You Should Be Dead**

* * *

"Well, uh, hello." The Doctor said to the soldiers as he pulled out the psychic paper, "I'm the Doctor, President of the Planet, I guess of Earth One."

"You should be dead!" A voice bellowed followed by the sound of heels clacking towards the TARDIS.

"I keep telling you people," the Doctor said as he put away the paper and started to squeeze through the wall of soldiers, "I'm the original, I'm the one who regenerates. On that note, when did Meta-Me become so chummy with UNIT?"

"We may not have Daleks as often as you do," Kate Lethbridge-Stewart said as she stopped in front of the Doctor, "But we do have some kind of monster every other week, and what better way to fight them then the one in our own backyard?"

"Oh, so not chummy," the Doctor said, "More like respect mixed with anger."

"Now you get the idea." Kate said as she led the Doctor and Rose into her office, "Now then, how did you get here in the first place?"

"He doesn't know." Rose said.

"Well, it's not as simple as that." The Doctor started, "The TARDIS brought me here, I guess to pick up my spirits. I recently lost my companion, Clara Oswald. Put me in a bit of a funk, then I wind up here with no idea how or why. Also, how do the Osgoods know me so well?"

"The who?" Kate asked.

"What I still don't understand," Rose said, "Is how you didn't know where you were going until you got here."

"Well the TARDIS can control itself," the Doctor said as he and Rose sat in front of Kate's desk, "taking me where I'm needed most. Apparently I'm needed here on Earth Two."

"Earth what?" Kate asked as she sat at her desk.

"There's a theory," the Doctor started, "well I actually proved it. Anyway, the theory states that there are multiple Earths spinning through time and space at the same time and place but on separate dimensional planes. Let's say my world is Earth One, this would be Earth Two. Somehow, the TARDIS found or - hopefully not - made a breach in the dimensional plane allowing passage between Earths One and Two."

"Like a wormhole?" Rose asked.

"Or even a black hole." The Doctor replied, "Contrary to popular scientific belief, pretty much any hole in the fabric of space is some kind of portal."

"God, he even sounds like ours." Kate said while refixing her brown hair, "Look, I don't care how you got here, I just need you to go home."

"What about my dead counterpart?" The Doctor asked.

"He could help us revive him." Rose said with somewhat an excited twinkle in her eye.

"Fine." Kate said as she stood. "But I want to be involved in everything."

"Understood." The Doctor said as he and Rose stood up to walk out.

As Kate walked to the door, the Doctor leaned in to whisper.

"What do you know of Zygons?" The Doctor asked in Kate's ear.

"Besides that it's a made up word?" Kate asked, genuinely confused.

The Doctor looked deep her in the eyes, turned around then followed Rose back out to the hanger where the TARDIS resided.

"Where is Dead Me buried?" The Doctor asked a nearby soldier.

"Under the boss's office." The soldier replied.

"Oh this should be fun." The Doctor said as went into the TARDIS.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

"I'm sending an email to Her Royal UNITness," the Doctor said as he typed away, "asking for permission to park and set up shop in her office."

"If she says no?" Rose asked.

"I think we both know that answer." The Doctor said with a smirk as he looked at Rose.

Rose giggled and brushed her hair again as the Doctor sent his email. Seconds later, Kate responded with a no. The Doctor flicked a few switches, pushed a few buttons and threw the main throttle forward. The TARDIS appeared in the vacant corner of Kate's office, opposite the door and opposite Kate's desk.

"I said, 'No!'" Kate practically screamed as the Doctor exited the TARDIS leaving the door open.

"And you know me," the Doctor said as he put on the sonics and scanned the office floor, "When there's saving to do, I do what I need to get the job done so everyone can go home happy."

"Just don't mess up anything." Kate sighed.

"Don't worry," the Doctor said as he took off the sonics, "I'll clean up after myself."

"No, you won't" Kate said as the Doctor stepped out of the office with Rose in tow.

"Alright, here's what I'll need," the Doctor said to a few soldiers outside the office, "Shovels for a five man team, as well as pickaxes, a pulley system big enough for a coffin and a team of people ready to help Dead Me come to grips with how long he's been gone."

Two of the three soldiers went to get the supplies while one stayed in place, not looking the Doctor in the eye.

"What're you waiting for," The Doctor asked looking at the name patch on the soldier's uniform, "Captain Ramirez 89456?"

"I don't take orders from the dead." The soldier replied smugly.

"But you do take orders from me," Kate said, "And I'm telling you to do what he says."

"Yes ma'am." The soldier saluted before following the other two.

"Just as I thought," the Doctor said, "Fun, fun, fun."

"Is that your complaining voice?" Rose asked with a smirk.

"You better believe it is." The Doctor replied, "I'm proper Scottish this time around, I can complain about anything and it immediately seems like a big deal."

"Please, just get to work." Kate said before walking away and down a hallway.

"Earth Two humor leaves a bit to be desired." The Doctor said as he used his sonics to temporarily uplink the TARDIS computer with the UNIT computer.

* * *

Kate made sure no one followed her, then opened the closet door, locked it shut behind her then activated the false wall and went down the stairs to the underground lair. Hundreds of Zygons lurked down here in the shadows, some in human disguise, others in normal appearance.

"What have you found, Commander?" The heads of the council - both Osgoods - asked.

"The Doctor is suspicious of us," Kate replied, "And he means to revive the Meta-Crisis."

"We cannot allow this." The Osgoods said in unison, "Throw him off the scent of both us and Meta-Crisis."

"Yes, my lords." Kate said as she bowed.

She walked past the pods with the real Osgood and Kate inside, then walked back up the secret stairs.

* * *

END CHAPTER THREE


	4. Ch 4: Earth-Two Paradox

**Ch 4: The Earth-Two Paradox**

* * *

 _Hi kiddies, Doctor here. The Paradox listed above is completely made up, but so that we understand each other, here's the skinny; the events of Earth One and Two are, for all intents and purposes, the same. However, the people are not. Sure, same names and faces but they aren't the one's who made history. Earth One, Hitler is responsible for WWII, but on Earth Two it was man named Michael Shklovski. Shklovski wanted a superior race of Gingers so he tried to kill off everyone else, no discrimination of race or religion. On Earth Two, Hitler was simply a German born but French raised telegraphist. The paradox is knowing the double's there, but not knowing where they are or what they're doing._

* * *

The Doctor typed away as he tried to make the uplink between the TARDIS computer and UNIT computer systems stable.

"Your computer has a most peculiar dialect." The Doctor said as he scanned the main computer housing with the sonics.

"Isn't that some line from an old sci-fi movie?" Kate asked as she came to check on the Doctor.

"Oh, you have Star Wars here too?" The Doctor asked as he looked up at Kate, "And also Star Wars is a space-opera, not sci-fi."

"How long is this project going to take?" Kate asked as she crossed her arms.

"Why, trying to kick me out?" The Doctor asked as he went back to scanning the computer.

"Actually, yes." Kate said, "We have lives of our own to get back to. We've all already come to terms with our Doctor's death, we don't need you back here taking his place or trying to bring him back to a world that doesn't need him anymore! Now do us all a favor: get back in your TARDIS and go home!"

The Doctor looked up from the computer and scanned Kate.

"Kate Lethbridge-Stewart," the Doctor started as he stood up and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Whatever game you're playing, I will win. I know who you are, I know what you are and I know that your templaiate is downstairs. So unless you want UNIT to turn into a war zone and bring the planet with it, I suggest you let me revive this man to reunite him with his wife. If this is not simple enough for you, I suggest you run very fast because the universe becomes extremely small when I am cross with you."

The Doctor leaned back and looked in Kate's eyes. She stared daggers at him, then turned and began to walk out of the hanger.

"Three of you, stay with the Doctor and Miss Tyler." Kate said, "The rest of you, come with me."

"What was that about?" Rose asked.

"A bit of disagreement on who's in charge." The Doctor said calmly as he went back to stabilizing the uplink.

"So what are you doing now?" Rose asked.

"I am trying to upload a data spike," the Doctor started, "Containing all of your Doctor's information and memories that I will receive through the TARDIS telepathic circuit. I will not activate the spike until his coffin is inside the TARDIS so I can personally give him his first and only regenerative cycle. He'll still be the same man you knew, but with a second chance"

"Thank you." Rose said softly as she hugged the Doctor from behind.

"My pleasure." The Doctor said as he patted her hand, "I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

The Doctor went back to typing, and after a few seconds the computer chimed its success.

" _Success_." The computer said, " _TARDIS/UNIT uplink complete_."

"Yes." The Doctor said as he stepped over the cords that ran between Kate's computer and the TARDIS console, "Now this is the easy part. Everybody here grab a shovel and a pickaxe. We're going to be having a lesson in Coffin Exhumation 101."

* * *

An hour later, the Doctor climbed his way out of the now two feet deep and seven foot wide hole in the middle of Kate's spacious office. The Doctor buzzed the intercom asking for waters and lunch for the digging team.

In minutes, there was a knock on the door. The Doctor opened the door and almost flew away from the doorway.

" 'Ere we are," the woman said, "Five lunches courtesy of today's special in the mess hall and two waters for each person."

"You, you look just like…" The Doctor started but couldn't finish his thought.

"Who is it Doctor?" Rose asked, now concerned about the Doctor's sudden reaction.

"Is everything alright, sir?" The woman asked as the Doctor got uncomfortably close in her face.

"Clara Oswald?" The Doctor asked.

"No, Clara Pinkman." Clara said as she swept back her ginger bangs, "I'm just gonna leave these trays here. I'll charge it to your tab."

The Doctor stared after her as she walked away.

"So she married the PE Soldier in this world?" The Doctor asked, mostly to himself, "She has know idea who the Doctor is and that's what happens. Very interesting."

"Doctor, can I have my lunch?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Hmm, oh yes, of course." The Doctor replied, remembering the cart of food and wheeling it into the office.

As the group ate, the Doctor stared out the window that took up the entire wall to the left of Kate's desk.

"Quite amazing when you think about it." The Doctor said through his sandwich, "Of all the people on Earth Two, I meet you and Clara in one day."

"She didn't know who you were." Rose said.

"True." The Doctor said as he set his sandwich down, "But I always wonder what people's lives would be like if I had never met them, never introduced them to what's out there, never left them without a proper goodbye."

"Doctor," Rose started as she took his hands, "You can always focus on the what-ifs, but it's much better to focus on what happened. It's what makes all of us who we are, even you."

"And now I remember why I picked you." The Doctor said with a smile and some tears in his eyes.

Rose hugged the Doctor, then picked up her shovel and axe and went back to work. The Doctor took a swig of water, shed his jacket and followed Rose's lead.

As the group kept working, now to four feet deep, there was a knock on the door. The Doctor crawled out, opened the door and was met by the Osgoods.

"Excuse me," Scarfed-Osgood asked, "Could you tell us where Kate Lethbridge is?"

"We have some very pertinent information for her about the Cyberman presence." Sweater-Osgood said.

"That's a bit odd," the Doctor said, "Because Miss Lethbridge-Stewart claims she's never met either of you."

The Osgoods turned to each other, then back to the Doctor. Then they started to morph, skin changing color, suction cups along each limb. Suddenly, two Zygons stood in front of the Doctor. Then they stepped towards each other and they morphed again, one large head with two different colored eyes, four arms, two very muscular legs. Finally, one very large Zygon monster leaned in front of the office doorway.

"Oh I hate Zygons." The Doctor said before throwing his shovel at the monster and grabbing his coat, "EVERYONE IN THE TARDIS!"

The Doctor, Rose and two of the soldiers ran into the TARDIS but the last one was grabbed by the multi-Zygon. The Doctor had barely closed the door when there was a terrified shriek then it was silenced followed by a rather loud and revolting crunch.

"I really hate this idea." The Doctor said.

"What idea?" Rose asked.

"What kind of sidearms do you soldiers have?" The Doctor asked.

The soldiers brandished two standard issue MX-79s, military grade sonic blasters.

"Those are very impressive," the Doctor said, "Earth One doesn't even have them on the black market until 3045. I'll distract, you stun pulse that thing."

"What about me?" Rose asked.

"You wanna help distract?" The Doctor asked as he got ready to open the door.

"Absolutely." Rose smiled.

"You two will know the signal when I give it." The Doctor said as he and Rose stepped out the door.

"Hey, you, soldier muncher." Rose yelled as she and the Doctor stepped to the opposite side of the large office.

"C'mon Zy-goods," the Doctor said as they reached the opposite wall and got the monster's attention, "Last of my species, must be more delicious. You probably want to eat me right, NOW!"

The two soldiers moved away from the TARDIS and in front of the window. The Zygon monster lunged for the soldiers who immediately dropped on to their backs and aimed the blasters at the beast's stomach. The soldiers fired simultaneously sending a stun blast of sonic energy into the moster's body. The monster's eyes glazed over but the body didn't stop moving. It crashed through the window before going head first through a cement fence and banging into the back wall of a dumpster.

"Well, I think we need to get a little faster with our work." The Doctor said before shedding the coat again and hefting his shovel.

"Shouldn't we get help?" One of the soldiers asked as the Doctor jumped down in the hole.

"Help? Help?!" The Doctor asked, "Are you kiddin' me? You just saw what the Osgoods were. Most likely a good portion of UNIT are Zygons, we have to assume that we're the only ones who are still human or at least not Zygons. Right now, we just have to keep working."

"But what if-?" Rose started before the Doctor climbed out of the hole and got in her face.

"Every second we spend without your Doctor alive and well," the Doctor started, "Is another second that the Zygons use to advance through UNIT taking away the world you know keeping me here longer until the real problem is solved. Who do you really want beside you solving this, me or him?"

"Him." Rose said softly.

"Then help me disturb his final rest." The Doctor said as he dropped into the hole again and started digging.

The others jumped in and helped. In seconds, the Doctor was hitting against something metal.

"Let's clear the dirt around it, and get the pulley ready like I showed you." The Doctor said.

One soldier got out of the hole and got the pulley system looped through the railing inside the TARDIS then attached to the poles on the coffin. Together all five of them pulled the coffin vertically through the hole then angled it into the TARDIS.

"Alright, it's in." The Doctor panted as he wiped his brow leaving a dirt streak across his forehead, "Talk about deadweight."

The others looked at him like he just killed a puppy.

"Still too soon?" The Doctor asked.

"Alright, you two go out and keep watch." Rose said as she practically shoved the soldiers outside the TARDIS and shut the door.

"I know you want this right now," the Doctor said as he started preparing the data spike, "But this may take some time."

"Just do whatever it takes." Rose said.

* * *

END CHAPTER FOUR


	5. Ch 5: Reanimation Side Effects

**Ch 5: Reanimation May Cause Side Effects**

* * *

The Doctor primed the telepathic circuit to begin uploading the data spike into the Doctor's mind as soon as he touched the circuit.

"Now, you have to remember something," the Doctor said as he made the final preparations, "The Doctor that comes out may not entirely be the Doctor you lost, at least not yet. I'm giving him one single regeneration, but right after he wakes up, he may be a bit groggy."

"As long as he's alive." Rose said.

The Doctor clicked the final switch and the telepathic circuit came to life. The Doctor walked over and inserted his fingers into the circuit. He threw his head back as information was thrust into his head at a hundred miles an hour. As soon as the spike stopped, the Doctor began to feel the wave of regeneration force build inside him. No one should have been able to withstand that force of energy. The Doctor grabbed the sonics and opened the coffin just enough to get his hand inside. He then siphoned all the energy through his hand, just like he had done to create the Meta-Doctor in the first place.

As the Doctor felt the last of the regenerative wave leave him, he took off the sonics and through the cracked lid watched the skeletal remains grow back everything that had been missing; nervous system, muscle tissue, skin, a beard. The Doctor then ran to wardrobe and picked out the outfit he had worn in his tenth hour. He came back, set the outfit aside and grabbed the coffin lid.

"Brace yourself," the Doctor said to Rose, "You're about to kiss a dead man back to life."

The Doctor threw the lid open, Rose didn't care that the body wasn't covered, she grabbed the face and kissed as deeply as she could. Suddenly, Meta-Doctor's hand reached up and tenderly pulled Rose's face deeper into the kiss.

Rose pulled away, tears beginning to flow.

"Hello again, Rose Tyler." Meta-Doctor said as he pulled her back into the kiss.

"Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, but this is all I could find for you to wear." The Twelfth said as he looked away from the couple and held out the blue suit and tan trench coat.

"Oh my, I am a bit indecent, aren't I?" Meta-Doctor chuckled as he took the clothes and put them on.

The Twelfth turned around as Meta-Doctor finished putting on the trench coat and tying the Converse shoes.

"Now," the Twelfth started as he reached into the coffin, "You're gonna need your sonic and before I leave, I'll help regrow your TARDIS. Where's your sonic and TARDIS piece?"

"They should be there." Meta-Doctor said as he too started feeling through the lining of the coffin, "This has gotta be a first, man feeling through his own grave for personal belongings."

"Trust me, not a first." The Twelfth said as he put his sonics on to scan the coffin, "I went through somewhat the same thing on Ralser Five, not a pleasant experience."

"Well, it's not here, let's go look." Meta-Doctor said as he started to walk out the TARDIS.

"Excuse me, who put you in charge?" The Twelfth asked.

"Well, I figured a dead guy gets certain privileges." Meta-Doctor replied.

"Um, last of the Timelords, resident of Earth One, I'm in charge." Twelfth said.

"Half Timelord, resident of Earth Two, resurrected today, I'm in charge." Meta-Doctor countered.

"Been alive for over two thousand years, had thirteen regenerations, I'm in charge." Twelfth said using his height as an advantage.

"Knew about the Earth Two parallels, knew about the Earth Two Zygons before my death, I'm in charge!" Meta-Doctor shouted before walking to the door, "Also, I have a beard, which means people trust me more."

Rose followed the Meta, leaving the Twelfth in front of the open coffin as he tried to control his temper.

"I've never had an argument with myself before," the Twelfth said aloud as he closed the coffin, "Quite an interesting experience."

The Twelfth left the TARDIS and found that every drawer in Kate's office was pulled out and emptied. As Rose as the two soldiers looked through the office for Meta-Doctor's sonic and TARDIS piece, the Meta-Doctor himself stood over the hole his coffin had been in.

"It's quite surreal seeing a grave where you were just a few minutes ago." Meta-Doctor said.

"How do you feel for just having been brought back from the dead?" The Twelfth asked.

"Well, don't tell Rose," Meta-Doctor started, "But I'm not sure I'm ready to come back, plus I don't remember everything that happened between us."

"Well that's the beauty of life, discovery." The Twelfth said.

"How long was I out?" Meta-Doctor asked.

"According to Rose, two years." The Twelfth replied, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember being on the train as it crashed," Meta-Doctor replied, "But I don't remember why I was on the train in the first place."

"Well maybe finding your sonic will help." The Twelfth said as he put on his sonics and scanned the walls and ceiling of the office.

The Twelfth looked at section of wall and noticed one that seemed to be blotted out.

"This section of wall is deadlocked," the Twelfth said as he pointed it out, "But there seems to be a link between the lock and her computer."

"I'm on it," Rose said as she started typing, "I got pretty good with computers in the last few years."

"You still have problems with deadlocks?" Meta-Doctor asked.

"Of course." The Twelfth replied, "Don't you?"

"No actually," Meta-Doctor replied, "While I put together my sonic I figured out the problem, Tungsten filaments saturated in Mercondium."

"You're kidding?" The Twelfth asked as he took the sonics off, "It's been that simple all along?"

"If you two are done sharing notes, I got the lock down." Rose said before a click was heard in the wall.

The Twelfth put the sonics back on, scanned the section of wall and opened it. A hiss went off as the airtight seal opened, the panel of wall became a handle for a small drawer with the Meta's sonic and TARDIS piece in it. The Twelfth took off the sonics and put them away, then carefully lifted out the Meta's screwdriver and the TARDIS piece. He then held them out for the Meta to take them.

"Ah, it's good to see these again." Meta-Doctor said as he picked both items up.

The Meta put the TARDIS piece in one of his coat pockets, then used the sonic to scan the area.

"Uh, well, good news and bad news." Meta-Doctor said, "The good news is that the sonic works, the bad news is that we've got at least ten Zygons on their way to this office, and they're bleeding angry."

Before anyone could respond, the office door was kicked open and nine soldiers flanked the wall with Kate coming in behind them.

"Well, congratulations are in order I suppose." Kate said, "Now Earth One Doctor, get back in your TARDIS and go home."

"Yeah, here's the thing, no." The Twelfth said as he put on his sonics.

"See, there's two of us now." Meta-Doctor said as he gripped his sonic.

"Now, there are ten Zygons in this room." The Twelfth said as he handed something to Rose behind him, "That's five Zygons per doctor, unless our friends behind us have any say in the matter."

"However, our plan is to immobilize all of you at once." Meta-Doctor said as he signaled the two human soldiers to get ready.

"You're going to take all of us at once?" Kate asked in her Zygon voice.

"Oh yes." Both Doctors replied at once as they moved into formation.

Rose stood in the middle, then the Doctors on either side of her and the soldiers on the ends. Rose extended the tenth hour sonic screwdriver that the Twelfth had slipped to her, the Doctors activated their sonics and the soldiers sent out a stun pulse with their blasters. The collective wave of sonic energy involuntarily morphed every Zygon, then knocked everyone one of them out.

"At best we have thirty minutes," the Twelfth said as he took off the sonics and used his key to lock the TARDIS, "Let's move."

As the group left, the Meta stayed behind and only the Twelfth and Rose noticed.

"You tried to kill me." Meta-Doctor said as looked in Zygon-Kate's unconscious face, "You endangered the woman I love and you hurt her family."

"Meta-Me, let's move, c'mon." The Twelfth said as he motioned the way down the hall.

"You wanted to hurt me, you wanted me dead." Meta-Doctor said through gritted teeth and slowly raised a fist as a tear formed in his eye.

"Doctor, don't." The Twelfth begged with wide eyes.

Zygon-Kate suddenly opened her eyes.

"And how does that make you feel?" The Zygon asked with a smile.

"ANGRY!" Meta-Doctor shouted as he punched the Zygon in the face knocking it back out.

"DOCTOR!" Rose screamed.

Meta-Doctor turned toward her, his face still burning with anger until he saw the fear in her eyes. The Meta's eyes went wide as he opened both hands looked at them.

"C'mon, we've gotta go." The Twelfth said as he lifted the Meta up and half dragged him down the hallway, "We have a creepy basement lair to find."

* * *

END CHAPTER FIVE


	6. Ch 6: Pain in a Bottle

**Ch 6: Pain in a Bottle**

* * *

As the others roamed the halls as fast they could, looking for the entrance to the Zygon lair, the Meta-Doctor sat against a wall still looking into his trembling hands.

"They say misery enjoys company." The Twelfth said, "So d'you mind if I join you?"

The Meta didn't even flinch.

"That was just a joke, I'm gonna sit." The Twelfth said as he sat next to the Meta.

"Did you see the way she looked at me?" Meta-Doctor asked, "Like I'm a monster."

"I did." The Twelfth replied, "Well not right then, but I know what you're talking about. When Rose Tyler and I first met, I had just finished regenerating after the Time War. In those next few weeks, she and I exchanged more looks of horror than you could count. But that's the amazing thing with Rose, she helps bring out the best in you. Whether you just committed complete genocide of your own people or accidentally shredded her résumé, she will never cease to see the good in you. Because when she's around, there's nothing but goodness everywhere and in everything."

"What about what happened in that office?" Meta-Doctor asked.

"It'll wear off," the Twelfth replied, "You'll be back to yourself in a week or so. "

"Alright then." Meta-Doctor sighed as he stood up, "Now, about the entrance."

The Twelfth stood up, put on his sonics, unlocked and opened the closet door on the other side of the hall, then opened the false wall revealing the stairs.

"You knew the whole time?" Meta-Doctor asked as the Twelfth put away his sonics.

"Maybe a little." The Twelfth said with a smirk as he motioned for Rose and the soldiers to follow him.

The group went down the stairs quietly in single file. The Doctors simultaneously signaled to everyone to be completely silent and hide once their were off the stairs. The Doctors and Rose each hid behind separate support pillars and the soldiers went behind opposite wall corners. The Twelfth put on his sonics in stealth mode and zoomed in on the Zygons main computer. As he was see how many were down here, a communication alert came up on their computer. A Zygon walked up to controls and answered the call. Zygon-Kate sitting in her office filled the screen.

"What is it commander?" The Zygon at the controls asked.

"The Heads of Council have been immobilized, as has my personal squadron." Zygon-Kate replied, "The Meta-Doctor has been resurrected, however the Earth-One Doctor has left his TARDIS unguarded but locked."

"Excellent, we will use it as leverage." The Zygon at the controls said.

The Twelfth motioned for everyone else to stay put as he went towards the computer.

"Excuse me," the Twelfth started, "You're planning to use my TARDIS as leverage? That's a big mistake on your part considering a few things; A) the TARDIS is locked, 2) she only responds to me, 3) - no, wait - C) You're not going to take over this Earth or any Earth as long as I live and that's because 4) or D) or a bullet point or whatever: I. Am. The Doctor, and I save those who can't save themselves."

The Twelfth activated the sonics and shorted out the computer system causing a blackout in the room, even the lights went out. The Meta and Rose activated their sonics as flashlights and the soldiers stunned every Zygon in the room in seconds. The Twelfth then brought the computer system and lights back on line and went to work finding out who in UNIT was Zygon and who was Human.

"Alright, well, there is some good news." The Doctor said as he looked through the computer, "Only half of UNIT is Zygon, the bad news is that the half that is Zygon includes all of the leadership."

"Hang on, go back one page." Rose said before the Twelfth did as she asked, "Those employee numbers aren't the same as a few months ago, and certainly not the same as a year ago."

"They've been inserting Zygons as new members." Meta-Doctor said.

"I knew I had been seeing new faces." One of the soldiers said.

"Does it show who in the building is Zygon or not?" The other soldier asked.

"Possibly, why would it?" The Twelfth asked looking at the soldier.

"Every UNIT member has a tracer inserted in their spinal cord." The soldier replied.

The Twelfth, the Meta and Rose all looked at the soldier in horror.

"Don't worry," the soldier said, "It's a painless process and it only takes up about a centimeter of space in the back of the neck."

"Well," the Twelfth said as he turned back to the computer, "If you know the frequency I can keep track of everyone even in the sonics."

"Here, I'll type it in." The soldier said as he put in the frequency code as best he could with the Zygon controls.

"Alright, seems the tracking program is working." The Twelfth said as he synced the sonics with the Zygon computer, "I've also locked the Zygons out of their own computer."

"Now how do evacuate the humans?" One soldier asked.

"Or, better still, how do we take out the Zygons?" The other soldier asked.

"We're not taking anyone out, I'm making that very clear right now." Meta-Doctor said with a trembling hand.

"Alright, what's your play then?" Rose asked.

"Stun pulses from every sonic, put them in detainment." The Twelfth said as he started walking out.

"By the way," Meta-Doctor said to the soldiers, "Are you two twins?"

"Yes, sir." One soldier replied, "I'm Henry Anderson, this is my brother Jacob."

"Nice to meet you both." The Twelfth said as he shook their hands, "Now let's get to work."

"Hold on." Meta-Doctor said as he grabbed Twelve's arm, "You've hardly talked to these people, treated them like they're just here to help and now that you know their names you just want to get to work. What's the matter with you?!"

"What's the matter with me?" The Twelfth asked as he pulled his arm back, "I've learned not to get attached to anyone to easily, because I always lose them. I always lose people I care about because that's what happens when you're the last one of your species, the universe decides to make your life a living hell and the only ones that can make you feel any better are either dead or long gone due to choices that have been made! What's the matter with me is I don't want to lose myself to anyone else, I couldn't care less about anyone else, anyone I've ever come into contact with for more than a day has had their life shattered in some way! I'm a man with a monster inside and the only thing that can keep me from hurting anyone else is to not get attached! That's why I don't learn names, or get involved in social lives, or look at old pictures because all I get in return is pain and heartache and it's more than I can bear. I may be the Doctor, but I can't cure myself, and it's more than I can stand."

The room fell silent as the Twelfth gained his breath.

"I'm sorry," The Twelfth said, mostly to Rose, "Let's just finish this so I can begin to figure out I got here and then go home."

"Hang on again." Meta-Doctor said, "When you gave me the regeneration, some of your memories came with it. Remember your speech to Zygena, the one about not starting a war? What was it you said about pain? 'You take all that pain, and you hold it tightly in your hands, until it burns down into your soul. You grit your teeth and you say, "No one else will feel this kind of pain, not on my watch."'"

The Twelfth looked at the Meta for a second, then got in his face.

"You hold all that pain by choice." The Meta said, "But you have forgotten, like I did awhile ago; with no one there to help you through the pain, it will eat you alive, until there's nothing left but a bitter man with a grudge against the very people he swore to save."

The Twelfth sighed.

"You're right." The Twelfth said, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no harm, no foul." The Meta said, "I mean sure, some harsh words, but nothing we wouldn't have said in the same position. C'mon then, let's take care of the Zygons. Then we can work on the dimensional barrier problem."

* * *

END CHAPTER SIX


	7. Ch 7: One Down-One to Go

**Ch 7: One Problem Down, One To Go**

* * *

The group walked back up the stairs and peered out from the closet door.

"For once, I'm out of ideas." The Twelfth said as he closed the door again.

"Couldn't we just pass off as Zygons?" Henry asked as he checked his sonic blaster.

"Too risky." The Meta replied, "One wrong move and they immediately know the difference. Scotty, can I call you Scotty? No? Anyway, when Zygena tried to take over your Earth, didn't you find a space underground with all the pods of the people the Zygons had taken?"

"Yeah, we-" The Twelfth started before the penny dropped, "Yes. Yes! YES! That is good, that's brilliant. Alright, you and Rose head downstairs and start mapping looking for the pods. Be careful of any Zygons you come across - hit them with a stun sonic pulse. The Andersons and I will start going through the halls incapacitating Zygons and placing them in some kind of detainment."

"How exactly will you detain them?" Rose asked.

"Haven't worked that out yet." The Twelfth admitted, "However, if you find the pods, use the sonics to open them and bring the humans up to speed and then to the surface. If there's enough humans, we should have a big enough force to round up the Zygons and place them in the detention center at Torchwood."

"What's Torchwood?" Jacob asked.

The Twelfth looked at the soldiers, then the Meta, then Rose.

"What do you two talk about?" The Twelfth asked, "Anyway, Torchwood is a secret organization that deals specifically with alien materials, rogue aliens on Earth, you name it. Granted they don't have the most heartwarming methods, but sometimes they come in handy. Maybe I'll help you with that before I go."  
"Alright, Rose and I find the pods, you and the Andersons do some scout work." The Meta recapped.

The Twelfth nodded in agreement as did everyone else.

"One thing quick," The Meta said, mostly to the Twelfth, "How did you give Rose this sonic?"

"Well," The Twelfth started, "The TARDIS can create any type of sonic based on implanted designs and based on the Time Lord. Earlier I was going down memory lane with Rose, and I may have recreated my tenth hour sonic. I however already have the sonic specs and another sonic screwdriver which is quite shiny and new, so I figured I'd give the older one to someone who needed it more than I did."

Rose smiled and hugged the Twelfth.

"Alright, you better get going." The Twelfth said as he pulled away.

As Rose and the Meta went back downstairs, the Meta's cry of "Allons-y!" could be heard echoing down into the tunnels.

"Alright, which one of you is Anderson One and which is Anderson Two?" The Twelfth asked the twins.

"I'm Anderson One." They both answered at the same time.

"Oh, right, twins." The Twelfth sighed, "This should be fun."

* * *

A few minutes later, the Twelfth was walking down the hall with an Anderson on each side of him. The Twelfth kept the sonic sunglasses on as he scanned the people in the hall. If they passed a human, the Twelfth would nod his head slightly and he and the soldiers would keep walking. If they passed a Zygon, the Twelfth would point and one of the soldiers would hit the Zygon with a stun pulse then quickly drag it into a nearby room and either tie them to a chair or table or close and barricade the room door from the outside.

"So, Anderson." The Twelfth asked as they continued walking, "Are you by chance related to anyone in Scotland Yard?"

"Yes, actually." Henry replied.

"Our mother's name is Phyllis Anderson." Jacob added.

"She's partially the reason we went into UNIT." Henry finsihed.

" _Phyllis_ Anderson?" The Twelfth asked with a chuckle.

"Yes." Jacob replied, "Why's that funny?"

"Does Scotland Yard deal with a woman named Cheryl-Ock Holmes?" The Twelfth asked.

"Is that some gender bent version of Sherlock Holmes, the detective that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about?" Henry asked in reply.

"Uh." The Twelfth started, "Well, never mind."

The trio came to a stop at a junction that went off three ways: 1) towards the mess hall, 2) towards the hanger and 3) to the shooting range.

"We can't split up." The Twelfth said scanning down each hall, "And in all honesty, none of these choices are any good."

"So what do we do?" Henry asked, "Go back the way we came?"

"We could head to the shooting range and stock up on weapons." Jacob suggested.

"Notice I said, 'None of these choices are any good'." The Twelfth repeated, "We're not killing anyone or anything, end of story."

"Alright then." Henry said, "Leaving a job unfinished is certainly not an option. We could head to the mess and see how many are there."

"Too risky." The Twelfth said, "If there's too many, we'll get swamped and end up in a worse position than right now."

"So we sit here on our arses and do nothing?" Jacob asked.

"Did I say that? Did those words come out of my mouth?" The Twelfth asked as he got in Jacob's face.

"Oi, take it easy." Henry said trying to get between the Twelfth and Jacob.

The Twelfth took a breath then looked at himself in a reflection.

"I'm sorry." The Twelfth said, "I've not exactly been myself lately."

"Seeing Miss Tyler again?" Henry asked.

"Something like that." The Twelfth said after a pause.

The Twelfth started leading the way back to the offices and on the way they were met by the Meta and Rose.

"How's the pod situation?" The Twelfth asked.

"Weellll," The Meta started, "Why don't you ask them?"

The Meta pointed behind him and a group of people equivalent to ten truck loads walked out from the closet where the secret door was. The real Kate walked to the front of the group, walked up to the Meta and smacked him across the face.

"Where the bleeding heck have you been?" Kate asked.

"Yes, well, uh, dead." The Meta said as he rubbed his cheek.

"But how-?" Kate started before noticing the Twelfth, "You must be the original."

"Guilty as charged." The Twelfth said, "Now, do you all have some kind of sonic blasters or devices."

Everyone produced a blaster except for Kate who pulled out a sonic pen and the real Osgood looked at everything as if she'd never been to UNIT before.

"Alright, everyone set to stun and follow the Andersons." The Twelfth said before pointing to Osgood, "You, hang back, we need to talk."

The rest of the group headed down the hallway towards the mess hall while the Twelfth and Osgood stayed in place.

"You really don't know where you are do you?" The Twelfth asked.

"I don't even know why those _things_ took me." Osgood said, "I'm just a customer service rep at TechTown over in Cardiff."

"On top of that, you sound American." The Twelfth said.

"I'd hope so." Osgood said with pride. "Why does that surprise you?"

"The Osgood I know is not only a Brit, but she has a bit of an obsession with my 'past lives'." The Twelfth replied, "Also, she has a twin sister who's Zygon. Long story. But she's a very prominent member of UNIT, she's actually my Kate's daughter and she's scary good with computers."

"I see." Osgood said as the two started walking after the main group.

"I'm guessing that you don't care about computers outside of your job." The Twelfth mused.

"Even then, not so much." Osgood joked.

They joined the main group and discovered that they'd not only gotten all the Zygons in the UNIT building into the mess hall, but they had all been chained to the lunch tables.

"Not bad." The Twelfth said as he walked up to the Meta, "Hopefully we can simply move them to the detention wing."

"It won't be too much of a problem." Kate said, "We'll bring in some forklifts, take the tables directly into cells."

"Excellent." The Twelfth said, "In the meantime, Meta, Rose, Kate, with me."

The four of them headed back to Kate's office where the TARDIS still sat. They reconnected Kate's computer to the TARDIS computer and started running simulations and algorithms on how and why the Twelfth's TARDIS got to Earth Two at all.

"Well," The Meta started, "The good news is you still have a window of opportunity to get back home. The TARDIS somehow punched a hole through a very weak rift near the Tylers' apartment and the hole is still open. The bad news is that the hole is closing and it keeps closing the longer we wait."

"With all due respect, the sooner you leave the better." Kate said, sadness instead of bitterness in her voice.

The Twelfth looked around, looked out the window, then at the TARDIS.

"Alright, everybody in." The Twelfth said as he motioned for everyone to go in.

Before he stepped in behind them, the Twelfth whispered to himself, "One last trip with Rose Tyler."

* * *

END CHAPTER SEVEN

* * *

 _Next Chapter - Final Chapter:_ **Chapter Eight: I Don't Wanna Go**


	8. Ch 8: I Dont Wanna Go

Chapter 8: I Don't Wanna Go

* * *

The TARDIS reappeared in the nook out in front of the Tylers' apartment. All four of them exited the TARDIS and Kate was speechless.

"It's been a long time since I've done that." Kate said.

"Don't worry, I'll regrow my own." The Meta said to Twelve.

Twelve nodded, then looked at Rose. Even with the Meta here, Rose was doing her best not to cry.

"I'm losing you all over again." Rose said through the lump in her throat.

"Oh, don't worry Rose Tyler." The Twelfth Doctor said as he pulled her into a hug, "I'm never too far gone. Besides, you've got a Doctor of your own to fuss about again."

Rose chuckled through the tears, then looked at Twelve and kissed his cheek.

"I don't want you to go." Rose cried.

"I have to, otherwise I'm stuck here." Twelve said, "And I'm fairly certain that no universe could handle more than one Doctor for an extended timeline."

Rose nodded her understanding, but her frown didn't dissipate.

"I know it's not much," Twelve started, "But keep the sonic. It'll come in handy."  
Rose smiled a little at the new gift as the Meta used his own sonic to scan the area.

"You better get going," The Meta said with sadness, "The breach is getting smaller."

"You be more careful this time around." Twelve said with a smirk as he pointed at the Meta, "You're not able to regenerate anymore."

The Twelfth Doctor then shook hands with Kate, hugged the Meta and Rose goodbye, then stepped into the TARDIS shutting the door behind him. He stepped to the main console and leaned against it.

"Alright, ol' girl." The Doctor said with a bit of a smirk, "Take me home, and take me where I need to go."

Without any assistance, the main throttle threw itself forward as several lights and displays began to flash in symphony sending the TARDIS back through the dimensional breach - and unbeknownst to the Doctor - through another, very different dimensional breach.

A few seconds later, the familiar tremor and soft thud of the TARDIS landing were felt and heard. The Doctor had shed his red-lined jacket for his royal-red velvet one. With the jacket straightened, both the sonic specs and the still relatively new TARDIS-esque screwdriver tucked into the breast pockets of the jacket, the Doctor stepped through the doors hoping for his Earth. What greeted him was something entirely new, but only a bit different.

Grungy, dark streets - a substantial shadow even for the middle of the day - and decaying but surviving buildings stretched out to form a city. People walked by dressed in semi-modern clothes, drove by in cars from the 1980s and '90s, and went about their day as if a Police Box suddenly appearing in an alley and depositing a man in a velvet jacket wasn't even remotely the craziest thing they had seen.

As the Doctor closed and locked the TARDIS, he looked down the street and saw a familiar but startling sight - a tall man with brown hair swept upward wearing a trench coat and a pinstripe suit walking down the street towards him.

"Where the hell have you brought me?" The Twelfth Doctor asked as he looked at the TARDIS and then up to the sky.

* * *

On the other side of the city, as the Doctor looked to the TARDIS for answers, Detectives James Gordon and Harvey Bullock strapped on their badges and their guns as a lead in their case not only turned up successful, but was now running a truck through several buildings of Gotham City.

* * *

END STORY

 _To continue, head to the sequel story:_ Timelords, Detectives and Serial Killers - What Could Go Wrong?


End file.
